 BY MICHAEL AMACHER
As a somewhat reluctant Albuquerque transplant from a large East-Coast
city, I wasn’t too sure about what I was getting myself into when I
decided to move here. My main gripe at the time was how there likely
wouldn’t be decent entertainment stopping in Albuquerque, let alone an
annual festival highlighting incredible performers and artists from all
corners of the globe. I’ve been wrong before and now, as a proud,
biased expatriate of sorts, I can’t think of a better place to host a
festival with the cultural gravitas of ¡Globalquerque! than the
National Hispanic Cultural Center.
Neal Copperman and Tom Frouge, the local promoters behind the festival,
said their unique event celebrating world music and culture has
experienced astonishing growth and support since its 2005 debut.
“Our first festival was the Tuesday night after Labor Day weekend,” Copperman said in a recent interview with Local iQ. He went on to say that the inaugural festival drew approximately 400 attendees. By comparison, attendance at the following year’s event, swelled to 3,500 and spanned two weekend nights.
“It takes the people to bring it to life,” Copperman said.
During last year’s festival, the promoters made the decision to add vendor booths to the event, which they have retained this year in the form of a “Global Village.”
Copperman noted that the village will boast more than 30 international foods and craft exhibits.Copperman and Frouge said they modeled ¡Globalquerque! after globalFEST, an annual world music festival held in New York City. The idea was to put Albuquerque on the international music map by hosting a lineup of culturally diverse entertainment.
“The city of Albuquerque and the National Hispanic Cultural Center have been huge supporters of the event,” Copperman said.
Another important group, The National Endowment for the Arts, has also shown their support, naming ¡Globalquerque! 2007 the official New Mexico event for the 25th anniversary of the National Heritage Fellowship program.
As in previous years, this year’s festival will feature a diverse roster of musicians including Koko Taylor, Columbia’s Marta Gomez, Senegal’s Lankandia Cissoko and most notably, The Global Drum Project, a veritable supergroup comprised of Mickey Hart, Giovanni Hildago, Zakir Hussain and Sikiru Adepoju. In all, ¡Globalquerque! will feature 18 performers from around the globe performing on three stages. In addition, free programming will be offered on Saturday, including workshops on music and folklore. Media sponsor KUNM 89.9 will feature child-friendly activities beginning with the broadcast of “The Children’s Hour.” at 9a.
¡Globalquerque!
6p, Fri., Sep. 21 and
Sat., Sep. 22
National Hispanic Cultural Center
1701 4th SW, 246.2261
$30-$50 in advance, $35-$60 day of event; $15-$25 (12 and under), $30 day of event; two-day passes available.
Advance tickets can be
purchased at NHCC box office (724.4771), all Ticketmaster outlets (883.7800) or
ticketmaster.com
For a complete performance and workshop schedule, visit
globalquerque.com
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